1991 Dynasty - Various Questions

If it shifted fine, and got worse after the servicing I would suspect that there is the wrong tranny fluid in it. I would have them drain and refill with the correct fluid, ATF+3.

Thank you,

It was shifting terrible before the fluid change - after reading all the newsgroups, I thought it was worth a shot, but in my case, it only solved the problem for a couple days. It makes me wonder if there isn't something "loose" in the transmission clogging some of the ports, and the fluid change was enough to dislodge it temporarily....

Any thoughts on what it could cost to get them to do a tear down and an inspection/adjustment?

Chris

Sounds like dirt to me. If this is a three-speed, as I recall the valve body needs to be removed and cleaned. The fluid change might have stirred things up.

Thank you,

It is a 4 speed. The shift from 3rd to 4th has always been fairly smooth, so I didn't mention that earlier.

Chris

Well, if you got 120k out of the first transmission, you'll get about that much out of the next (more if the rebuilder upgrades it with newer parts). The engine should last over 200k pretty easy.. The plastic interior bits and pieces will start to fail on these cars before anything major mechanical (other than the trans).

Not likely- but again you should be SURE that it has the correct fluid in it (and I'd recommend ATF+4 over ATF+3) before tearing into it.

There's nothing to "adjust" in the electronic 4-speeds. All "adjustment" is done when the clearances in the clutch packs are set during assembly, then the computer takes it from there and compensates as parts wear. A "turnkey" rebuild runs in the neighborhood of $1000-$1500. Less if you R&R it yourself.

I also forgot to mention that any transmission shop should hook this unit up to their diagnostic scan tool. They can then read the clutch volume indices from the computer and get a very accurate estimate of how worn the clutch packs are. It won't identify hard failures like broken snap-rings, and it won't identify incorrect fluid, but it will give an indication of the overall health of the friction materials.

With regards to transmission work, am I better off going to a dealer, or to a transmission shop?

I had the transmission oil changed at a dealership - would they put anything but ATF3 or ATF4 in the car? I did insist to the guy making up the ticket that they use ATF3, but I didn't see what they actually put in the car.....

Chris